Pulse generator



March 7, 1950 Filed May 17, 1944 R. PROSKAUER ET AL PULSE GENERATOR 5 l I'JLP FIG. PULSE GEN.

STEEP 5 Sheets-Sheet l MIXER .JZL;

TRIGGER LONG PULSE GEN..

V INVENTORJZ RICHARD PRQSKAUER VICTOR J- YOUNG ATTORNEY March 7, 1950 Filed May 17, 1944 R. PROSKAUER EFAL PULSE GENERATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 mm. FIG.4 K 5% ATV- QAflO/IA W F i G. 5 A

FIGS

I50gz3 O MIT 2 m:

FIG.7 STEEP OU 1 UT* PULSE IMPEDANCE GEN. CATHODE FOLLOWER DELAY SYN LINE UNDER 79 LONG '12 69 LOW TEST OUTPUT e7 PULSE IMPEDANCE-T 75 e4 as GEN. CATHODE --q FOLLOWER s5 3%? 7s CATHODE x14 72' GEN. FOLLOWER J 2 INVENTORJI RICHARD PROSKAUER VICTOR J. YOUNG ATTORNEY March 7, 1950 R. PROSKAUER ET AL PULSE GENERATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed. May 17, 1944 FIG.8

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 7, 1950 UNITED STATE s PATENT OFFICE PULSE GENERATOR Richard Proskauer, Westbury, and Victor J. E Young, Jamaica, N. Y., assignors to The Sperry Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application May 17, 1944, Serial No. 535,990

Claims.

otherwise not achievable without resorting to higher supply voltage and larger tubes, or both high power supply voltage and high power tubes.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide arrangements for combining the rapid rate of rise characteristic of pulses generated by a squared-pulse blocking oscillator with the greater duration achievable from the output of a multivibrator type of oscillator.

Other and further objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In carrying out the invention in its preferred form, two separate pulse generators are employed, one of which is adapted to produce a very steep wave front with adequate amplitude, and the other of which is adapted to produce a pulse having the desired time duration, but a necessarily less than desired initial rate of rise. A mixer is employed for combining the outputs of the two pulse generators so that an output pulse may be produced which has both a high initial rate of rise and a long duration-without thereby subjecting either of the pulse generators to excessive average currentfiow, or reqiiring excessive peak currents in either genera or. a x

A better understanding of the invention will be afiorded by the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompany ing drawing, and those features of the invention which are believed to be novel and patentable will be pointed out in the appended claims.

"In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the invention for use when it is desired to avoid loading either of the input pulse generators with current supplied at the output;

Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the arrangement of the apparatus of Fig. 1, when it is desired to avoid loading the steep-pulse generator with the input impedance of the long-pulse generator;

Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram corresponding to Fig.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are graphs explanatory of the principle of operation .of the apparatus and illus-v to provide rela-- trative of wave forms obtained invvarious porthe circuit supplying it, and which supplies an.

tions of the apparatus;

Fig. '7 is a block diagram of apparatus employ-. ping the arrangement of the foregoing figuresiforv test purposes; and v Fig. 8 is a circuit diagram of the apparatus of Fig.11.

Like referenceicharacters are utilized throughout the drawings to designate like parts.

As represented schematically by Fig. 1 of the drawings, the advantages of steepness or high initial rate of rise of a voltage pulse, and long continued duration of a pulse may be obtained by means of relatively low power apparatus with v a lowcurrent drain on the power supply by combining a steep-pulse generator I I with a long pulse generator I2 by means of a mixer I3. As-j suming that the steep-pulse generator I I is self.- oscillatory, or that a triggering source is provided for triggering the steep-pulse generator II, two outputs may be taken-from the steep-pulse generator I .I, represented by lines I4 and I5, the one output I4 being to synchronize the pulse generator I2 and the output,l5 being applied directly to the mixer l3. vAs represented by the line I6, the output of the long pulse generator I2 is passed to the mixer I3 which combines the two inputs I5 and It to produce a steep, long,

duration pulse at an output channel I'I.

In order to avoid loading the steep-pulse generator II by the input impedance of the long-.

pulse generator I2 and thereby running the risk of detracting somewhat from the steepness of the output pulse, a high impedance input device, such as themixer ,I.3,,may.be interposed between the-steep-pulse generator II and the long pulse generator I2; for triggering the long pulse ge,n-.

erator I 2' from the steep-pulse. generator I I For example, as'illu'strated in Fig. 2, and I3 .may be interconnected so as to pass the output of the steep-pulse generator II directly to them-ixer 53. The mixer I3 may be provided with a synchronizing output represented by a line is for synchronizin the long pulse generator I2 which has its output I6 fed back, to the mixer I3 as its second input so that the mixer I3 supplies the output I1 which represents the combination of the mixer inputs I4 and I6.

It will be understood that the mixer I3 should be one of the type which does not appreciably load output voltage-whose instantaneous value is dependent upon that one of the two input voltages The invention ls not limited to the use or any.

the devices. I],

particular type of pulse generator as the steeppulse generator I! and as the long pulse genera tor I2. It will be understood, however, that it is difficult to combine length and steepness in the same generator. Furthermore, when great, steepness or high ratio of off to on time is desired, or other severe conditions are imposed, it is diflicult to obtain high frequency stability. By employing two difierent pulse generators, al though both may be of the same type, one may be designed with circuit constants such as to provide great steepness, and the other with circuit constants such as to provide great length. For example, two multivibrator generators may be employed with different circuit constants so as to satisfy the suggested cond tions.

In the arrangement of Fig. 3 there is shown, for the sake of illustration. an arrangement in which the steep-pulse generator H takes the form of a squared-pul e blocking oscillator, the long pulse generator I2 takes the form of a multivibrator circuit. and the mixer I3 takes the form of a cathode follower. In the specific circuit illustrated. it is assumed that he des red output pulse is a voltage pulse of positive polarity, that is, one in which the positiveporton of the output wave has the desired high initial rate of rise, and continues at high amplitude for the desired duration of time.

The squared-pulse blocking oscillator I I may be of a type described in greater detail in the copending applicat on. Serial No. 534,934. filed May 1, 1944, now Patent No. 2,483.431, of Richard Proskauer, one of the present joint inventors. Briefly. such a squared-pulse blocking oscillator may compr se an electric. discharge device such as a triode vacuum tube 2 I. a pulse transformer 22, and suitable coupling elements. The triode 2! comprises an anode 23, a cathode 24 and a control electrode or grid 25. The transformer 22 comprises a primary or anode circuit w nding 26 connected n series with the electrodes 23 and 24 of the tube 2!, and a secondary or grid winding 21. For supplying the requisite power, a direct current source represented as a battery 28 is provided. It has a positive terminal connected in series with the winding 26 to the anode 23 and a negative terminal connected to the cathode 24, wh ch may be grounded if desired. The coupling elements comprise a coupling condenser 29, a grid leak resistor 3 I and a throttling resistor 32. The latter is interposed in series with the coupling condenser 29 between the grid winding 21 and the grid 25. l

The cathode-follower I3 comprises an electric discharge device such as a triode vacuum tube having the conventional electrodes, including a grid 34. connected to the high potential output terminal 30 of the blocking oscillator grid winding 21, and having a cathode 35 connected in series with a cathode resistor 35 to the grounded terminal of t e power suppl 28.

The multivibrator circuit I2 includes a pair of electric discharge devices such as triode vacuum tubes 31 and 38. having conventional electrodes. including control electrodes or grids 39 and 4|, respect vely, and having conventional anode or load-resistors 42 and 43, res ect vely. The tubes 31 and 38 are cross-coupled by means of coupling condensers 44 and 45. For squaring the output pulse of the mut ivibrator circuit I2. throttling resistors 48 and 49 are connected in series with the coupling condensers 45 and 44, respectivelv. For the purpose of more accurately and uniformly fixing positive pulse duration, the

grid 4| is positively biased by means of a grid leak 4'! returned to the positive terminal of the power supply 28. The grid 39 is shown as zero biased by connection of the throttling resistor 49 to the cathode resistor 36 of the cathode follower i3. In the specific arrangement shown. the throttling resistor 49 is relatively high in resistance in comparison with the grid-cathode capacity impedance of the tube 31, and accordingly, a small by-pass condenser E! is provided to overcome the integrating efiect of the resistor 49.

For adjusting the pulse length of the multivibrator l2, one of the grid leaks may be made adjustable, or, as illustrated, a portion of the grid leak 41 may be provided with a short-circuiting switch 52.

The combined output pulse may be taken from the cathode-follower cathode 35. If desired separate terminals 53 and 54- may be brought out, connected to the cathode 35 and to the grounded negative terminal of the same 28, respectively.

If synchronization with an external trigger source is desired, such a source 55 may be coupled to blocking oscillator grid 25 through a condenser 55.

The blocking oscillator II tends to oscillate at a frequency determined by the time constant of the coupling condenser 29 and the grid-leak resistor 3I. Whenever the grid 25 rises above the cut-ofi potential, current passes through the primary winding 26 of the pulse transformer 22 and, by reason of the connections of the transformer 22, the effect is regenerative with the current in the tube 2| increasing rapidly and inducing a strong, positive voltage pulse at the output terminal 30 of the grid winding 21. The condenser 29 becomes charged when grid-current flows and biases the grid 25 strongly negatively as soon as the voltage of the anode 23 has fallen to such a value that no further increase in tube current takes place. The tube 2I then remains non-com ducting until the grid 25 has again drifted in the positive sense until the cut-ofi potential is again reached. If the external trigger source 55 is em ployed the tube 2i becomes conducting whenever the triggering pulse is received from the source 55.

The shape of the voltage pulse at the terminal 30 is represented by the dotted line curve of Fig. 4. As represented by the solid line the actual grid voltage is squared off as a result of the action of the throttling resistor 32 which limits the flow of grid current and so reduces the dissipation of the stored magnetic energy of the transformer 22 by the grid current of the tube 2|, thus allowing the wave front 51 of the voltage pulse of Fig.

, 4 to be very steep and rise very abruptly to a high (not shown) amplitude. A voltage wave of wave-form similar to that shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 4, is produced with opposite polarity at the anode 23 or by means of a separate secondary winding A wave form of the anode voltage is illustrated in Fig. 5.

As is known to those skilled in the art a multivibrator circuit tends to produce an irregular wave form having a frequency determined by the circuit constants and having a ratio of positive to negative portions of the pulse determined by the relative circuit constants associated with the two tubes. By employing the throttling resistors 48 and 49, the wave-form of the multivibrator' circuit I2 also is squared 01f and the amplitude of the wave-is allowed tosbecome relativelygreat,

However, the wave front cannot be expected to be as steep as that produced by the blockingoscillator ll in which the available energy'is utilized in a very short space of time.

The steep-front short-duration pulse applied to the grid 34 of the cathode follower l3'is re-- produced only in its positive portion 'at the;

the output terminal 53 causing the potential to remain at a high positive value even after the short steep pulse at the ing oscillator II has disappeared. Accordingly, a wave form appears between the wave terminals 53 and 54, such as illustrated in Fig. 6. Assuming, for the sake of illustration, thatthe synchronizing source 55 .and the multivibrator 12 are adjusted to produce pulses with a period of 2400 microseconds between successive pulses, the arrangement illustrated in Fig.3 makes it possible to produce long, steep-front high amplitude positive pulses having a duration of 150 microseconds or 350 microseconds, for example, according to whether the switch 52 is opened or closed,-whereas the pulse duration of the positiveportion of the output wave of the blocking oscillator I! may last only 1.0 microseconds or less. The actual pulse duration and the ratio of on to off time depend, of course, upon the constants employed in the circuit and our invention is not limited to the specific ratios or pulse durations mentioned by way of illustration. the multivibrator tube 38 is positively biased results in the grid 4'! rising toward cut-oil at a relatively large angle instead of asymptotically so that the positive pulse duration is quite precisely fixed.

It will be observed that the cathodefollower mixer 13 produces an output voltage which is as great at any instant as the instantaneous value of whichever input voltage is greater. For example, as long as the multivibrator output voltage is rising gradually, the potential of grid 53 is determined by the steep-front positive .pulsefapplied to the grid 34, whereas, after the voltage at the grid 34, has fallen ed the potential of the terminal 53 is determined by the positive output potential of the .multivibrator circuit 12. The cathode follower 13 has a high impedance input so that it does not load the blocking oscillator 1| l and impair the steepness of its output." The multirvibrator output may be connected directly to the cathode resistor 36 inasmuch as it is not necessary to preserve the steepness of this output. Accordingly, a relatively low impedance output is available at the terminals 53 and 5-4. V

v The steep front, long duration pulse producing apparatus described may also be utilized for the production or synthesis of a useful approximation to a voltage step function for synthetically testing various kinds of electrical apparatus, for example, for observing the operation of experimental delay lines. A voltage step function? is a voltage which changes abruptly from one value to another at a given instant, which has a time derivative which is infinite at that instant and which is zero at all other times. Although such step functions cannot be realized exactly, the apparatus described herein has been found to form a satisfactory approximation.

grid 34 from the block- I The fact that the grid 4! of- 1 pulse generator i2, as

' employed, for example,

For example, if it is desired to observe the behavior of a delay line 61, as shown in the block diagram of Fig. '1, a test apparatus may be. utilized comprising a steep pulse generator II, a long hereinbefore described, with mixing means comprising a pair of low output impedance cathode followers 68 and 69, a cathode ray indicator or oscilloscope 1| having a weep wave generator 12, and a common synohronizer 13 for the generators H, l2 and 12 and for a blanking circuit 14 of the indicator 1|. A double-throw switch 15 may be provided for applying either the input voltage wave form or the output voltage wave form of the delay line 61, to a signal deflection circuit of the cathode ray indicator 1!. Preferably an additional cathode follower 1B is provided to prevent loading the de-. lay line 61.

Any suitable form of synchronizer may be the synchronizer 13 may take the form described in greater detail in the co-pending application, serial No. 535,989 of the present joint applicants, filed May 17, 1944, now

abandoned. As shown by the circuit diagrams of Fig. 8, the steep-pulse generator H and the long pulse generator l2 may be similar to the circuits shown in Fig. 3. However, for the sake of causing the blocking oscillator circuit H to act only when triggered, its grid may be ne atively biased by means of a C battery 11. The in- Vention is obviously not limited to triode vacuum' tubes, and as shown in Fig. 8 a pentode tube 33' is employed for the blocking oscillator ll. Both the blocking oscillator II and multivibrator l2 are coupled through coupling condenser 13 to a trigger output terminal'lll of the synchronizer 13.

In order that neither the steep-pulse generator I I nor long pulse generator i2 will be loadedby the delay line 51, separate cathode followers 68 and 69 are employed for mixing the outputs of generators l I and I2. As shown, the cathode followers 68'and 69 are pentode connected and have low output impedances with cathodes 8i and 82 connected together to the input terminal 83 of the delay line 61. The transfer switch 15 comprises a movable blade 84 coupled to the input grid of the cathode follower 16 and. a pair of stationary terminals 85 and 88 connected, respectively, to the input term nal 83 of delay line and an out ut terminal 81 thereof.

It willbe understood that the delay line 61 is. grounded, and for the purpose of testing the behavior of the delay line 61 under different terminal conditions. an adjustable impedance termination in the form of a rheostat as is provided which is connected between the output terminal 81 of delay line'61 and the ground connection.

The cathode follower 16 has a cathode terminal or output terminal 89 connected through a suitable circuit, shown for the sake of simplicity as aconductor 9! to signal deflection plates 92 of the cathode ray indicator 1|.

llVhenever the apparatus is triggered by the v synchronizer 13, the cathode ray beam ofthe in dicator 1| is swept across its screen by the sweep wave generator 12- and a step function pulse, that is, a voltage pulse with a very steep rise and of relatively long d "ration in comparison with delay line constants 61 is initiated and applied to the delay line t1. If the transfer switch 15 is moved to the right-hand position with the blade 811 in contact with the terminal 36,the output voltage of the delay line 61 is applied to the deflection plates 92 of the indicator H and the effect of the delay line on the step function voltage may be observed. For the purpose of comparison of the output wave form with the input wave form, the changeover switch 75 may be moved to the lefthand position whereby the input step function to the delay line 61 is impressed upon the signal defiection circuit of the indicator H.

We have herein shown and particularly described certain embodiments of our invention and certain methods of operation embraced therein for the purpose of explaining its principle of operation and showing its application, but it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations are possible, and we aim, therefore, to cover all such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of our invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A generator for producing steep-front long duration pulses, comprising in combination, an electronic steep-pulse generator, an electronic long-pulse generator, said steep-pulse generator and said long-pulse generator being adjusted for operation at a common repetition rate, and mixer means for combining the output wave forms of said generators, said mixer means being so arranged as to provide output voltage variations in response to one of said pulses in the absence of the other of said pulses.

2. Apparatus of the type set forth in claim 1, in which the mixing means provides an output voltage whose instantaneous value is dependent upon that one of the two input voltages which is the larger.

3. A generator for supplying steep-front, longduration pulses to a low impedance load, comprising in combination, a steep-pulse generator, along-pulse generator, a high impedance input mixer interposed between said steep-pulse generator and long-pulse generator for triggering the latter, a coupling between the long-pulse generator and the mixer for combining thereinthe output of the long-pulse generator with that of the steep-pulse generator.

4. A generator for producing steep-front long pulses, comprising in combination, a squaredpulse electronic blocking oscillator, a multivibrator oscillator with constants for producing a relatively long pulse, said oscillators being synchronized at a common repetition rate, and means for mixing the outputs of the two oscillators.

5. Apparatus as in claim 4 in which said mixing'means comprises a cathode follower inter-- posed between the blocking oscillator and the multivibrator for triggering the multivibrator from the blocking oscillator, and mixing the outputs thereof in the cathode follower.

6. In combination, a resistance-capacity-timed oscillator with constants for producing a steep, short pulse, a resistance-capacity-timed oscillator with constants for producing a relatively long-duration pulse, means for synchronizing said oscillators at a common frequency of oscillations, and means for combining the outputs of said oscillators. 1

7. In combination, a blocking oscillator producing a steep high amplitude pulse, a noninductive relaxation oscillator producing a pulse of longer duration than the duration of sa d steep high amplitude pulse, means synchronizing said oscillators at a common oscillation frequency, and means for combining the outputs thereof to provide a composite pulse wave combining the char- 81 acteristics of the output pulse of said blocking oscillator and the output pulse of said relaxation oscillator.

8. In combination, a blocking oscillator, a multivibrator having a pair of control grids, and a coupling between the blocking oscillator and. one of said control grids for synchronizing the multivibrator from the blocking oscillator and mixing the blocking oscillator wave form with that of the multivibrator.

9. Apparatus for producing a steep front long duration positive voltage pulse, comprising in combination, a, multivibrator including a tube producing a positive output pulse, a blocking oscilliator, means for triggering said multivibrator tube from said'blocking oscillator to initiate a long pulse, and means for combining the steep wave front of the blocking oscillator pulse with said long pulse.

10. In combination, blocking oscillator means for producing recurrent impulses characterized by a first repetition rate and by a first wave shape including steep fronts, multivibrator means for producing recurrent impulses characterized by greater duration than the impulses produced by said blocking oscillator means and by a repetition rate of the same order as said first repetition rate, means synchronizing said blocking oscillator means and said multivibrator means for maintaining substantially fixed phasal relation between respective impulses produced by said blocking oscillator means and said multivibrator means, said impulses being maintained in an REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,315,539 Carson Sept. 9, 1919 1,948,169 Eremeeff Feb. 20, 1934 2,104,690 Bedford Jan. 4, 1938 2,145,488 Jacob Jan. 31, 1939 2,146,091 Peterson Feb. 7, 1939 2,190,504 Schlesinger Feb. 13, 1940 2,226,459 Bingley Dec. 24, 1940 2,243,234 Von Duhn May 27, 1941 2,250,708 Herz July 29, 1941 2,250,819 Wolf July 29, 1941 2,275,460 Page Mar. 10, 1942 2,292,100 Bliss Aug. 4, 1942 2,310,328 Swift Feb. 9, 1943 2,415,918 Thomas Feb. 18, 1947 2,426,216 Hight Aug. 26, 1947 OTHER REFERENCES Brainerd, Ultra-High-Frequency Techniques, D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., New York, 1942, page 504.

Radio Retailing Today; January 1944, pages 48-49. 

